Archive for February, 2011

Just noticed a lovely recent review on Tea and Biscuits. I do devote an inordinate amount of time and passion to what I/we do with the coffee at the cafe – constantly tasting, tinkering, training, and worrying whether the coffee’s as good as it should be, and striving to always make it even better. I’ll admit I don’t always hit the mark (‘3rd wave’ or ‘artisan’ coffee is a curious and complex thing), but when it’s on the money, it’s a real joy when folks ‘get it’, enjoy what’s being produced, and make the effort to complement it – it makes all the hard work worthwhile. “Trevor Hyam will talk endlessly on the subject of beans, roasting, latte art and sourcing” …Guilty as charged 😉 (but hopefully only when people are interested to hear about it – there’s a fine line, and I try not to overstep the mark!).

Coming up for the espresso of the day over the next couple of weeks: More of the latest seasonal incarnation of the Caffe Naturelle blend, and continued appearances for Fazenda Passeio Brazilian single estate. Both so good …in very different ways.

Congrats to Will, Dale, John G, Maxwell, Andy C, Howard, Neil (I could go on!), and everyone else through to this year’s UKBC semi finals next month. I know only too well how much hard work goes into doing well in the competition (2 years was enough for me, and besides, I feel like I achieved what I wanted and it’s out of my system …for now!) – respect to those at it again, or for the first time – and Good Luck all!

…Adjusting my brew pressure! So far I have no reason to believe this has not been a good move.

…Waiting (patiently?) for beans to de-gas until that ‘murder in my mouth’ feeling eases into the opposite.

…Dialing-in Single Origin espresso (I think this is a coffee that might successfully make it through the minefield of Proper qualification for such a term): Brazil Fazenda Passeio, natural process ruby bourbon – and as a result having my happiest coffee-day this week by far!

…Receiving packages in readiness for some clever dripping. Do I CARE if that packaging looks, as my wife perceptively notes, “like something out of the 70s” (like Everything but Espresso)? Well, maybe only a little!

…Dearly ‘hearting’ espresso, as ever, but cursing, as ever, its perverse inconsistencies.

Fazenda Passeio was tasting amazing as my espresso-of-the-day this morning, really quite up-dosed, and at around 65-68% brew ratio. Then the sweetness and roundness decided, for no sane reason that I could deduce (although I have my suspicions), to wander, and I found it again only by moving some of the other variables around. This will be in the grinder again tomorrow – and it will definitely be back next week at some point – because it’s S.O. good, when it’s not wandering! 😉